1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packet processing system in which a forwarding apparatus and a control apparatus are separated. More particularly, the present invention relates to a packet processing system wherein the control apparatus can dynamically set a packet transfer rule when a new application is launched on the control apparatus so that the forwarding apparatus and the control apparatus can be separated without repairing existing programs.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with the advance of the Internet, the size of the network is becoming larger, the speed of the network is becoming higher, and service requirements are being diversified, so that requirements for control throughput and information processing resources necessary for the control throughput are rapidly increasing for communication apparatuses. Against this backdrop, there has been an effort to separate a communication apparatus into a control apparatus and a forwarding apparatus and to provide a control apparatus consistent with requirements for the rapidly increasing information processing resources.
A document 1 (P1520 Reference Model [Gilad Goren](doc), Documents, Foils and Minutes of the Fifth WG Meeting, held in Princeton (Jan 18-19, 1999), in <URL:http://www.ieee-pin.org/> on Apr. 16, 2003) discloses interface definitions between a relay function and a control function of a communication apparatus for integrating networks, that are studied by P1520WG of IEEE. A document 2 (Uetani, Konno, “Serialization, Essence of load balancer, First: understanding basic of load distribution from packet flow” Master of IP Network forum, in <URL: http://www.atmarkit.co.jp/fnetwork/rensai/index/index-serial.html#lb/on May 20, 2003) discloses a prior art in which a forwarding apparatus receives a service request from a network node, and distributes the service request to an optimum control apparatus on the basis of a predetermined packet transfer rule between the forwarding apparatus and the control apparatus.
However, according to the conventional technique in the document 1, there remains a problem that occurs when the forwarding apparatus and the control apparatus are separated.
For example, in the conventional technology disclosed in the document 2, the service request can be distributed to the optimum control apparatus on the basis of the predetermined service transfer rule. However, since the control apparatus cannot set the packet transfer rule when a new application is launched in the control apparatus, there is a problem in that existing applications should be modified or the packet transfer rule should be set manually.